New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-11-27
THE CyCl0pEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY.


.ppIETOy,s CyCLOP.EDIA OF AMERICAN BIOG;
RAPnY Edited Ivy JAMES Grant wilson pa ana
JoHS FIsKK. Vol Ill "rinneiI h'cA"'' '
svo PIP L, 752 u. Appleton Il Co. -.
Tho new volume OF this dictionary contains ia'e.
proportion of important historical arucics' sc'' VI
VIII, oh have especial claims to Considerations ~"
biography of President Lincoln by Coiohci 'oi', nay
deserves tho first place is full, concise chahaoiS
clear in the brief and pointed statement VI c'oN'
and definition of policies, precise In detail WITHOUT
suncralundancc often extremely happy In charac-
telzing men and incidents by single pliac' INV
history OF Mr. IlncOlns administration ihciu"5 WV
chief events Of tho war, t. snccincty ana su'c"'S
told: his personality is effectively proNch'cu, anu
his politcal position Is described cNac'N /" "a"
all this SO we'll In the compass Of few pages SHOWS
tho 6no workmanship for which Colonel HAYS
writing is no .css distinguished than for more biil'ah
qualities good sketch of Robert T.. L'c i luz
pshcd by George Cary EgGleston' thoneh P''""P
many students Of the war, both NOHh an" '"u'''
will think that the estimate Of The 'o"i"c'"'' s"
erals military abilities might well have been higher
The tone II the article l. candid mat We al" SUI
rriscd IN find II giving countenanCc to The fainiha
instrumentation that Ice continued tho contest UNI"
his force was reduced to less than loooo mc"'
resistance Of the Army OF virginia pIac''a'N ''''
with the evacuation Of Petersburg ana ld'h'""''u
when Lees strength is supposed 10 have been nearly
60 600: tho next seven days wcr spent by h'm III
an attempt to escape from Grant who ioho"od hau'
cant,rnc the furive- BY whole divisions and corps :
and il was when he could fee no longer mat i|o
surrendered AppOmatto1, not lo'ooV mo"' o"'
os 900 II moro than half these tIuops nan no a'h'
II was because they had thiOwn away ih'lr "r"N 0n
tho retreat. This Is not said In dspaiaEem'ht vi
Ice hut to his credit If he had fought his army 10
extinction he would have been guilty of a criminal
sacrifice of life Hooker "lIsllcck,' tho J"hh
sons" and "SiOncwall Jackson" are among the o'h'r
war biographies they are all treated HNmpA'hc'c"IS
The article ON President Iaycs7 Is from the pm o'
Mr. Schun, who treat, with sunclcnt l'h''7 "''
prlncpa lators OF the Hayes administration IN hha'
civil service reform and the regulation OF inc S""''
bun Is less satisfactory IN h~ brei ana l~tl"''"''
account OF the dl~putc over the electoral vote.
Mr. John Fiskc makes several important contribn
tions in earlier American history" Governor liui'h
SOM Andrew Jackson" Lafayette Charles Ire
and the Lee family Of Virginia As usual he i pump
tlous throwing such epithcts as SHY ana S'"p"
at ANYBODY he does not Ike anything of which be-
sapprovcs there IS enough solid Information III
his articles TO warrant In passing over hi, lad man
ncrs with an lndulrcnt smile. jefferson has been
intrustcd t. Mr.. James Parton, whose admiration Tor
his subject IS not always judicions. Ills injustice
toward Hamilton may De corrected by pcin-h ~
the article on that statesman 10y Henry Cabot Lodge
The Jayr family arc we'll commcmoratcd by the
Hon John Jay General James Grant Wilson writes
Of Commodore HULL as we'll Of various Non OF
letters The biography OF Hawthorne IS an al
mlrable example Of the tate and SKIN Of G"orec
william Curtis and there are many pleasant chaiac
tcrl,tic- In Donald 6. Mtchcl'- arii'l" on "jr'tue
tlo,,h herr, Their, j. some llc defect 81 sympathy.
AZ well a. the echo Of a style which has lost it, vogue
Mr. Parkman writes the article on " Ia ~hl"" The
anonvmou~ author Of the account Of Loul. llcnn'n
refer TO MIR. John g. Shea Translation OF that rN-
p!orcr.s Description de la Louisiana but seems 4"
he unaware that Mr. shea therein gives excellent
reasons for believing that the lying account "i
VOYAGE down the Mississippi. OF witch H"nn"iln las
long borne the odium not written by irnh'lhh'
but was foistcd into his second work bY somc
booksellers hack That the narrative j. an lniril"la
ton added after the book printed. Mr Shea make,
certain and that IicnncpIn ID not write II b" shows
to be highly probable. If this defence Of the Eccolr
missionary advcnurcr IS accepted We must revise our
estimate Of Of the most curious heur- IN TIC
history Of western exploration. The famous Chif,r-
MIA missionary Father JunpcrO Sierra J. treated under
"Junipero," where his T. given Miguel jose
Sierra Junpero7-ccrtanly odd enough Inversion MI
william Henry IIurlbert Il entered under lh" wrong
name. lie does not call himself Nurlbui,' although
his brother, tho general, did